Coin-operated weighing-scale.



H. S. MILLS.

COIN OPERATED WEIGHING SCALE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC- l, 1914.

1,1 39,993, Patented May 18, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET j.

3 SHEETS- SHEET 2.

@nmuummmn H. S. MILLS.

COIN OPERATED WEEGHIN'G SCALE: 7

V APPucATrqN FILED nae. I, 19m. 1,139,993, I r Patented May 18, 1915.

3- SHEETS-SHEET 3*.

iiy

UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERTSJ MILLS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

COIIl-OPERATED WEIGHING SCALE.

Application med December 1, 1914. Serial No. 874,992.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it. knownthat I, HERBERT S. MILLS, a, citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in thelcounty of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Coin-Operated Weighing- Scales, of which the following is a spec1fication.

My. invention relates-to an improvement in the class'of coin-operated weighing-scales, in which the scale beam is normally locked against proper balancing until released upon the insertion of a suitable coin or token.

The primary object of my invention is to guard against repeated use of the scale by different persons or bodies, for showing the weight of each, without inserting a coin for each use, by timing, simple mechanism, the released condition of the beam to a period only about sufficient to enable it to be balanced for ascertaining the weight-of one such imposition on the scaleplatform.-

Preferred mechanism for accomplishing this purpose isillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a broken view showing, in

the upper part of a scale of front elevat on,

' the Fairbanks type, in which mechanism embodying my invention is contained; Fig. 2 is a similar view with a portion of the front plate broken away to disclose the beamoperating lever mechanism and the locking member of my improvement; Fig. 3 is a broken view presenting. the inner sideof the head face-plate carrying the mechanism embodying my invention and shown in elevation in the normal-beam-locking position; Fig. 4 is a broken and partly sectional view showing the coin-chute and a coin which has passed therethrough into position to render the timing mechanism operative; Fig. 5 is a section on line 5, Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a broken view of the showing in Fig. 3, but presenting parts in the positions towhich they have been brought by turning the operating lever nearly to its full extent of depression, and Fig. 7 is a view like that presented in Fig, 3, but showing the parts in the positions they occupy after releasing the operating handle to effect release of the inserted coin and actuate the timing mechanism.

' The scale in connection with which my invention is illustrated is of lm'own general construction, involving a spring-platform (not shown), from the rear end of which Specification of Letters futent through the medium of Patented my 1s, 1915.

,rises'ahollow post 8 (Fig. 1) carrying a head 9. The head, in the present instance, is hollow and provided with a face-plate 1O equipped with a-lock,.indicated" at'll, for releasably securing the plate in its headclosing position. On the head is supported the scale-beam 12, as usual in the present type of, scale; and a rod 13 connects the spring-platform with the beamactuating lever 14, which has alink-connection at 15 with the scale-beam near itsfulcrumed end. A coin-insertion slot is provided at 16 in the top of the head 9. The mechanism hereinafter described is all preferably supported byv beingsecured to'the inner face of the plate.

A curved coin-chute 17, registering at its upper end withthe adjacent end of the insertion-slot, contains a transverse opening 18 near its lower end to admit a. stop-finger 1% projecting from a spring-pressed arm 19 pivoted on the chute, and the purpose of which is to hold back a second coin that'may be introduced into the chute until the first has been discharged therefrom and has served its purpose in enabling the timing mechanism to be operated, and until the machine is again worked as hereinafter explained. A projection shown as a stud 20 extends from; the beam-controlling levermember 14 into the path of the hooked end of a bent or bell-crank-species of springpressed lever 21 fastened between its ends 'on the arbor of a ratchet 22 in an incased train of gears 22. This arbor carries,

loosely, the' first gear of the train, and a spring-pressed pawl '23 is pivotally supported on that gear to drive the train byturning the ratchet in one direction, but to slide over the ratchet-teeth by turning the ratchet in the contrary direction. A brake-fan 24 is secured on the arbor of the last pinion in 'the train to prolong and thus time its run- Another spring-retracted lever 28, fulcrumed just abov'ethe fulcrum of the lever 27, terminates at its forward end ina-longitudinally slotted head29 containing a .seat for a coin 30 and through-the slot in which the finger 27 3 projects to overhang the coinseat. On one side of the head 29 is pivoted a spring-retracted tongue29 into the path of which the longer arm of the bent lever 21 extends. A ratchet-toothed curved bar 31,

pivoted at its lower end, has its opposite end spring-held inpositio'n to tend'to extend the teeth on the bar' into the path of a pro ect1on j 32 on the forward end ofthe lever'27'.

In the normalicondition-o f the scale, the

hooked end of the bent lever 21 engages the stud on; the beam-lever 14 to prevent-a body imposedion the scale-platform from balancing the scale-beam, by shifting the w eightsshown thereon, with any degree of accuracy. In that conditionof the scale,

depression of the operating handle 25 will' turn the lever downwardly withoutafi'ecting the locked condition of the scale-beam'lever,

I depresses the lever 28, the finger thereby clampingthecoin'onits seat. A In the down- J Ward movement of the two levers the prosince the finger 27? will pass down freely through the slot in the head 29 and fail to move the lever 28, which must move with the lever 27 to efiect the unlocking. A person using the scale to. cause the latter to indicate his weight, mounts the scale-platform, and upon inserting a coin into the slot 16 the 7 coin passes through the chute and lodges on 7 its seat in the head 29; Upon then depress ing the operatinghandle to throw the lever 27 downwardly, the finger 27 encounters the coin-in its path and, through that medium,

" jection 32 slides'over the teeth of the bar 31,

but they prevent the return of the-two levers to normal positionv until the ratchet-bar is forced backwardly, as hereinafter described.

In the downward throw of the levers 27 and x 28 the-tongue 29", by yielding in that movement, clears the end, in its path, of the lcnger arm of the bent lever 21. The lever 27 is shown in Fig. 6 at the lowermost end of its throw, in reachingwhich, being fulcrumed on a difierent center from that of vfulcruming the companion lever 28, the edge of the vertical portion of the angular finger 27,-in describing a difierent are from that described: by the'adjacent end of the lever 28,

pushes the coin out of the head 29, and the coin drops through a-hopper- 33 into a suitable coin-receptacle (not shown) in the post 8; This dislodgment of 'thecoin frees the lever-28, permitting it to be turned back toward normal position by therecoil of its controlling spring. In this turning, the tongue encounters the 'bent lever 21 and turns the latter to drive the train ofgears 22; but at a speed more retarded than the force of the lever spring wouldp'roduce, be-

c'a'use ofvthe braking action ofthe'fan 24 in overcoming atmospheric resistance. lVhen the tonguefirst begins to turn the lever 21, it trips the hooked end of the latter out of engagement with thestud 20, thereby unlocking the lever 14 and permitting the the weight .form. When, in the continued returnmovebe limited thereto scale-beam to be properly balanced, by shiftmg the weightsthereon, to accurately show of the body on the scale-platment of the lever 28, the tongue clears the adJace'nt :end ofthe lever 21, a spring-21" retracts the latter to engage its hooked end with the-stud 20 to againlock thelever 14 and impair the balancing function ofjthe scale-beam. The braking action of the fan retards the upward movement of the lever 28 to maintain the scale in normal working condition for a period only sufficiently long to enable the Weighing operation, for-which the coin is inserted, to be performed. J 11st before. the lever 28 reaches the 'end of its upward throw, the forward end, at 34; of

one side of the head 29, which is slightly longer than the opposite side, encounters the upper curved part of the bar31 extending into 1ts path, and forces the,bar against the resistance of its retractingspring in'the' direction to. take the teeth on the-bar out of upon all the novelty there may be in my invention as broadly as the state of the art will permit. 7 r

WVhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is' p 1. In a weighing-scale, 'a poising ,scalebeam, a spring-retractedlever for locking the beam against accurate balancing, springretracted lever-mechanism rendered operable bythe. insertion of acoin to trip said lever and unlock-the beam, and retarding means connected-with'said lever for timing the return thereof, under the retractive force of its spring, to normal locking-position.

2. In a weighing-scale, a poising flscalebeam, timing-means comprising a train of gears and a fan-brake on an arbor of said train, a S pring retracted lever on another arbor of said train, for locking-the beam against accurate balancing, and spring-retracted lever-mechanism rendered operable by theinsertion of a coin to tripsaid lever and unlock the beam. v

3. In a weighing-scale, a poising scalebeam and an operating lever,therefor pro- Vided with a projection,

timing-means comprising a tram of gears and a fan-brake on an arbor of said train, a spring-retracted leveron another arbor of said train normally engaging said projection to lock the beam against accurate balancing, and springretracted lever-mechanism rendered operable by the insertion of a coin to trip said lever out of engagement with said projection.

4. In a weighing-scale, a poising scalebeam and an operating lever therefor provided with a projection, a spring-retracted lever having a hook normally engaging said rojectiomto lock thebeam against accurate Balancing, sprin -retracted lever-mechanism rendered operab e bythe insertion of a coin to trip said lever out of engagement with said "projection, and retarding means .connected with said lever for timm the return thereof under the retractive v orce of its spring to normal locking position.

1 5. n a weighing-sea e, a poisin scalebeam and an operating lever there or provided with a projection, timingmean's comprisin a train of gears and a fan-brake on anaror of said train, a spring-retracted lever on another arbor of said train, having a hook on one end normally engagingsaid. projection to lock the beam against accurate alancing, spri -'retracted lever-mechanism rendered operab e by the insertion of a coin to trip said lever, said mechanism compr'is ing a lever fulcrumed on one center and provided on one endwith a bent finger,-xa

head through which said finger normally rojects, and a pivotal tongue on said head into the path of which'the other end of;

projection, to be forced there om by the normal position, an operatin nected with said finger-carrylng; lever, and retarding means connected with said locking.

lever for timing'the return thereofnnder vthe retractive force of its locking position. second lever fulcrumed on another center j and terminating in a slotted coin-seating said locking lever normally projects, an operating handle connected with said fingercarrying lever, and spring-held means for retaining said last-named lever in its downwardly-thrown position until released by said headed lever in regaining its normal one center and provided on one end with a bent finger and-a projection, a second lever fulcrumed on another center and terminating in a slotted coin-seating head through which said fingernormally projects, and a pivotal tongue on said head into the path of which said locking lever normally projects, a spring-retracted toothed bar extending its teeth normally into the ath of said head of said headed leverin resuming its handle. cons. MILLS. l npresenceofe a weighing-scale, a poising scalespring 'ii'o'rmal 

